Mooring of a boat at a dock or the like presents a number of problems. The boat can be simply tied to the dock by ropes. However, if the ropes are loose, the effect of wave or wind action may cause the boat to bump against the dock. This can result in damage to the boat and/or to the dock. If the boat is tightly tied to the dock, on the other hand, the boat cannot readily move to accommodate variations in water level, at least without the boat rubbing against the dock, again with potential risk of damage. If the water is subject to tidal fluctuations, this can be quite a serious problem and may require the mooring ropes to be adjusted periodically during the day. However, even on lakes or rivers not subject to tidal fluctuations, water level changes caused by the wake of passing boats, can cause quite a severe rubbing action between the boat and the dock. On waterways that are subject to heavy traffic, this in itself is a significant problem.
The problem can be avoided by mooring the boat to a mooring buoy offshore but this brings with it the difficulty of getting into and out of the boat. For example, it may be necessary to use a separate dinghy to transport passengers between the moored boat and the shore. Even then, the problem of accommodating water level fluctuations remains.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved boat mooring device that addresses these problems.